Mass raid on Pattaya Warehouse nets smuggled cigarettes

On July 5 at 18:30 Pattaya police were given a search warrant to search the premises of a company in Pattaya. A 3-storey high at 312/82 Soi Bua Khao Pattaya, Moo 9, Tambon Nong Prue, Banglamung, Chonburi, Thailand, the company had a front for selling tours and washing and ironing for tourists but really this was a guise and the company was secretly smuggling and involved in the illegal sale of cigarettes, drugs, and pirated goods.

Mass raid on Pattaya Warehouse nets smuggled ciggarettes

A 40 year old Pakistan citizen who was the mastermind of the operation admitted to concealing their operation by placing a fake wall that looked like bricks but on the inside was a small vault that could only be opened by a pin code pressed on a keypad. Inside were found to be fake brands of tables, sleeping pills, skin patches and other muscle stimulants, also were found were precursors for the manufacture of methamphetamine, as well as various brands of fake cigarettes.

The 3rd floor of the 3 story building was converted into a warehouse where pirated copies of products such as clothing, shoes and brand names of over 10,000 items were seized as evidence.

The Pakistani owners have lived in Pattaya for 10 years and speak Thai fluently. They first started a tour company and then the laundry mat to disguise their real intentions, they bought the goods from both Pakistanis and Thai's in Bangkok, they would deliver the goods once a month and put them in a hidden room on the 3rd floor. The operation was more of that of a distributor to other retailers in Pattaya city.

The police new about the operation for a long time but because the operators had a secret room for storage they we unable to find and make an arrest on inspection. But after the search warrant was issued this allowed them to make the discovery of over 10 million bahts worth of goods.

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Chris founded LivingThai.org in 2011 and has received over 3 million visitors. In 2017 he stopped writing new content (although does update the site) and is now focused on writing for his new website SlyNomad.com.